Recently, my co-author Dr. Jean Dodds, wrote a fantastic article on Why Dogs Eat Grass. Since I am often asked this question by clients – and many take it as a sign of concern – I wanted to share this article with you today. So, let’s take a look as Dr. Dodds unpacks the latest scientific research on this topic for us. Hopefully, this will… {Read More}

We have often heard that canned pet food is healthier than kibble, and in many respects this is absolutely true. However, canned pet food poses its own health risks – not necessarily from what is in the food, but rather from what the food is in. Canned food products are lined with a material containing BPA, a chemical that has become a topic of controversy… {Read More}

Xylitol and dogs are a potentially deadly combination. Learn how to protect your canine companion. Many of us associate the sugar substitute xylitol with chewing gum. And with all of the publicity surrounding the dangers of xylitol and dogs, most of us thankfully by now know that when we are done chewing our xylitol-containing gum, we must discard it in a sealed, “doggy proof” waste… {Read More}

With the holiday season upon us, I thought it would be fun to write a post about easy homemade dog toys. Many of us put as much thought into our dog’s holiday presents as we do our human companions. After all, who doesn’t love to watch our dogs dance, jiggle, hop around and wag their tails from the shear joy of receiving a new toy?… {Read More}

“Pet food” versus “people food”: which is best for your animal companion? I like to ask people what type of food they give their pets. I find it interesting. After all, pet nutrition is what I do. What I also find interesting are the people who proudly answer, “I never give my dog/cat any ‘people food’!” Often, they say it so exuberantly, so triumphantly, as… {Read More}

Obesity is a disturbing epidemic that increases chronic illness and decreases lifespan in companion animals. I have a holiday confession to make. Last night, my partner, Rodney, and I were enjoying a lovely South Florida evening with some cheese (goat’s milk, of course) and crackers (okay, and a glass of wine 🙂 ) on the back porch. While engrossed in a story Rodney was telling,… {Read More}

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Real Pet Parents - Real Praise

I feel extremely fortunate to have Diana' s support and expertise and could not recommend her more highly. My two year Cockapoo, Jasper, has had a number of health issues (especially musculoskeletal and digestive) since he was a few months old. Early on I suspected that optimising his nutrition would be key to his well- being. Thankfully after reading her (excellent) book I contacted Diana, who agreed to help us. From the outset I was extremely impressed with Diana's professionalism. She outlined exactly what time frame she would work to and stuck to it! Having discussed Jasper's case in detail, Diana spent a lot of time and energy exploring the type of food that I would have access to and then formulated a delicious diet! In the intervening time as other issues arose, Diana has always been available and is unfailingly helpful and supportive in modifying Jasper's diet as needed. In addition to Diana's obvious knowledge and expertise, she has a genuine interest in Jasper and all her clients! In all of our dealings it is clear that Diana has such a warm and kind personality. It has been an absolute pleasure to work with her!

Kate O'Reilly

My Belgian Terverun, Moki, was underweight and suffering from IBD. Diana formulated a custom recipe for him and in just a couple of short months, he is already almost to his ideal weight and his stool is back to normal! It's so nice to run my hand down his back and not feel as if I'm patting a skeleton! Moki loves the diet, and it's become routine for me now, so no big deal to make it. He observes me carefully as I am cooking for him, as if to say, "Do it right, mom"!

Rebecca Marks

I used to think that all you had to do was buy an expensive dog food and your baby would be just fine. Well, I found out the hard way that wasn't true. My Irish setter, Dylan, began to have digestive problems at 7 months of age when I started switching from one very highly-rated commercial food to a host of others. His intestines - that's how it started. His intestines started to rumble so loudly you could hear them in the next room. This happened often - at least 2-3 times a week. It was accompanied by his inability to eat anything until the rumbles stopped - usually 12 hrs. Then he would get mucous-y diarrhea. I tried feeding him every three hours. to see if that would stop the excessive gas - to a point that helped but did not stop this vicious cycle. I got no sleep for one year, basically. The short story is that his system got worse and worse to the point where I had gone to 12 different vets, most of them specialists, including a vet nutritionist. He had three different allergy tests and was basically allergic to everything. I spent thousands of dollars on diagnostic tests. I put him on proscription vet diets - worst results of all. Then my vet in Florida told me about Diana. She was my last hope before an endoscopy/colonoscopy. I contacted her and she came up with a home-cooked diet with three basic ingredients and a host of nutritious supplements. Once we had decided on the right protein (in his case lean beef) within three days .. YES 3 DAYS!!! of starting the new diet, the rumbles stopped, the diarrhea stopped, the every three-hour feedings stopped and he was a normal dog again!!! It is now four months that Dylan is on Diana's diet. He's two years old. He looks great, has plenty of energy, he eats three big meals a day plus two smaller snacks in between and most importantly, NO TUMMY RUMBLES!!! I tell everyone that Diana is a miracle worker, and she was truly that for us. RUN DO NOT WALK to sign up to work with her. Even if your fur-baby is healthy (mine was ... until he wasn't) Diana will guide you to make sure he/she stays that way. I cannot thank her enough and will work with her FOREVER!!!

Joanna Kosloff

I knew I had to switch my dog Luc over to a homemade diet because of his chronic allergies and the side effects from all the medication he was on. The problem was that I had no idea how to prepare his food so that he would get all the nutrients he needed. I'm so glad I found Diana.
Working with Diana was easy - we had a long conversation to discuss Luc's health and needs. I then decided to have Luc tested for various food allergies so that Diana could make sure the recipe didn't include anything he was allergic to. After our talk, Diana prepared the recipe specific to Luc's age, health, breed, allergy results, and taste preferences.
When I told Diana that I was "challenged in the kitchen", she spelled everything out for me very clearly, telling me exactly how to cook and prepare the food. It seemed so daunting at first, but she made it easy for me to carry out the recipe and it gets easier every time I cook since I can prepare much of it ahead of time.
AND Luc loves it!!!!!! And the best part - there's absolutely nothing in the food that I wouldn't eat myself (although I wouldn't eat it in the same combination - sardines and blueberries together - yuck!). It's all high quality meats, veggies, and supplements so I never have to worry about recalls, chemicals, preservatives, or health concerns.

Gale Lennard

In May 2016 my sweet chocolate lab mix, Max age 5, was given a CBC. The results were bad Creatinine and BUN levels and I was told he was nearing serious trouble. My heart plunged because I had lost my Wrigley-Wigley to kidney failure when he was only 2 years old. Dr. Jean Dodds recommended I contact Diana Laverdure-Dunetz to see if she could help with a custom designed kidney diet. I emailed Max’s test results to Diana and she customized a diet for him. I was amazed by the amount of knowledge she used to prepare the diet for Max. After 50 days on the diet, Max was tested again and, to my delight, HIS KIDNEY VALUES WERE NORMAL! Throughout this time, Diana was supportive and caring, which I appreciated so much. I will continue to cook the diet for him for a while and he will then be retested. I cannot thank Diana enough for her wonderful work! Diana saved me from serious emotional distress as well as saving Max’s life! His fur is shiny, his eyes are bright, he has slimmed down to the perfect weight, and his energy is unlimited. He is back to thieving. I am so grateful!

Bonnie Taylor

Volunteer / German Shepherd Rescue of Orange County

Since we've been feeding Tai his calcium oxalate stone diet designed by Diana, he has been SO much better in general! He's eating like a little pig, he's running after the cats and playing referree to their fights! He's just been so much more active than he was! I'm very grateful to Diana and all her help with Tai's diet and all the time she has taken to help us as well!! We're very appreciative of Diana!!

Darlene Echevarria

I came to Diana because my Shih Tzu, O'Reilly, had high ALT, so Diana formulated a custom recipe for his liver issues. I am happy to report that on his 6-month recheck, his ALT is now remarkable! I can’t thank Diana enough for her assistance. My other dog loves the food as well and is also thriving on it. It is so worth cooking healthy food for my boys to ensure good health. Even my veterinarian was surprised and very impressed!

Betty Owen

Sawyer looks fantastic and adores his recipe, so we're a very happy household! Thank you so much for your work to get us to this point, especially given the number of food sensitivies, plus kidney and GI issues that you had to navigate!

Anna Kukhta

I was referred to Diana by Dr. Jean Dodds after completing Nutriscans for my four dogs. I was overwhelmed at the prospect of trying to coordinate diets that met the different needs of each dog...while trying to keep cost down and minimize food prep time. Diana did a great job and the process was clear and easy. She was communicative, thoughtful, warm and definitely very helpful. Now I have straightforward diets for each dog that I can prepare with confidence. I have peace of mind that each dog is getting what they need and that means so much. Thanks Diana!

Elise Gouge

Since my shih tzu, Ming, began eating the custom weight loss diet formulated by Diana, he is doing great! I know he is still losing weight, and he looks great. I think he feels so much better as well. I have been feeding my other two dogs the same diet and my 9-year-old maltese, Molly, is acting like a puppy again. It’s funny to watch her run around the house!

Lisa Bogaars

Diana's advice has helped tremendously regarding our Mastiff, Jasmine. She has not had diarrhea for 6 months and is now entirely off metronidazole. I am very grateful!

Kerry Shannon

Thank You!
About a year ago I found myself at the emergency vet with my 9 and a half year old Rhodesian Ridgeback, Chase, when he began vomiting blood. After multiple tests, the vet suspected that Chase was having issues with his food. A friend was reading “Canine Nutrigenomics” and suggested I get a copy. Through the book, I learned about the NutriScan test and decided to run it on Chase. His test came back with intolerances to most of the items on the list, which severely limited any commercially available food. I was at a loss until I met Diana. She patiently listened and answered all of my many questions. She formulated and tweaked a home cooked diet for Chase including all of the supplements he needed. I am happy to say Chase is thriving today. He loves his food, maintains a healthy weight, and has great energy. After a year on the diet, my vet commented that he has never looked better. I will forever be thankful for Diana and the work she does. She gave my best friend back his quality of life!

Cindy Maple

I am so thankful for Diana. I originally contacted her looking for a diet that would help my four-year-old dog Nani with her weight. I had just started the process of working with Diana when Nani was diagnosed with early stage Chronic Kidney Disease.
After a very detailed consultation, Diana recommended that I have Nani’s Thyroid levels checked and sure enough she had low thyroid. Diana was very thorough in perfecting a fresh, nutritious home-prepared diet to deal with Nani’s CKD and also help with her weight.
After a few weeks on her new diet, I had her lab work retested and was thrilled when the vet told me her numbers really improved.
Nani absolutely loves her new food and her coat is the shiniest and softest I have ever seen it.
My goal is to provide Nani with a healthy diet that will help prolong the length and quality of her life, and working with Diana has enabled me to do that.

Grace Larimer

Diana is a miracle worker and dauntless in the face of disaster. She was able to successfully formulate a diet for our boy Freddy, who tested strongly reactive to all 24 proteins on Dr. Dodd's NutriScan and has early stage Chronic Kidney Disease. After just three short weeks on his custom diet, Freddy's labs improved 30% and he continues to thrive after languishing for nearly six years! Needless to say, we will be working with her to formulate custom diets for all our dogs in the future.

Sue Henderson

Trustee / Berner-Garde Foundation

My Italian Greyhound Enzo and I spent most of the 2 years following his adoption trying to find a dog food that agreed with him and did not make him vomit. I decided the only option left for treating Enzo’s IBD, was to seek the help of a dog nutritionist. Luckily, my vet knew Diana Laverdure and suggested I contact her. I did so at the beginning of April. He began his new diet plan toward the end of April. It is now the third week of May and he has not vomited once since starting Diana’s dietary plan for him. Enzo and I only have Diana to thank for making his life so incredibly more improved.

Pat Biesheuvel

Diana saved Chloe. She was a 14 month old miniature poodle that vomited 3 – 4 times a week, mainly in the early morning hours, since a young puppy. Diana made a recipe specifically for Chloe with all foods that work for her, and supplements to balance her diet. Yes, home cooking takes more time than opening a can or bag, but it is so worth it. Diana is very detailed with all the specific ingredients, and she also is there for you.

Linda Charlton

Diana speaks the truth about today’s pet nutrition; she stands behind her words with facts, backed by the published literature. Her knowledge, passion and commitment light the way for anyone who wants to take charge of their pet’s health.